Why

(now playing: pamungkas - to the bone)

Talking about life's journey milestones is always fascinating. Every era, every stage, and the moments that come with them bring lessons learned along the way.

This time, my journey led me to step away from the coffee business in Depok. We started with a long-term plan that, allhamdulillah, we hit (and even exceeded) our targets.

Three months have flown by, and it’s always the same, like in Bandung. I start them up, set up the business systems, and after about three months, it's time to move on and chase the next milestone.

I still want to dive into the same kind of business and keep expanding. This time, I need a stepping stone to build a strong brand, and it definitely needs to be in a big city. Central Jakarta, is my target to continue the coffee business and, at the same time, further my studies at the University of Indonesia's School of Environmental Sciences.

June will be my last active month with the Depok coffee operations. In October, I’ll be registering for the third wave of the SIMAK UI entrance exam. I have a four-month gap to prep for everything. It's a solid amount of time.

--

Sometimes, these journeys feel like a breath being drawn during the transition of quarterly moments. Looking back, everything I’ve been through and planned has passed just like that, with no turning back.

"Why?" always stands as the primary question and statement in these journeys, compared to "How?" or "What?". I always want to be someone with dreams and principles. Not just someone who knows how to do things practically and instantly. But maybe that’s also what's tough to explain to people with different principles.

I’m always grateful and never forget my family, who put up with my stubbornness every day and accept my life choices. I’m super thankful for that.

Shout out! to the café near Kopi Merah Putih Depok called Le Túsa. It's always a cozy spot to write, read books, and be productive in this new chapter of life.

3 AM

(now playing: Fletch - Tiga Pagi)

There's something different about consistently doing something. What I'm feeling now is the absence of fatigue and complaints towards doing what we believe is right, what we believe is good, and what aligns with the purpose of our lives.

This morning, I'm still at the kopi merah putih, doing my usual routine every day. Consistently doing it and prioritizing it over other activities. It's been a whole day without sleep. But there's something strange right now when I, who should be sleeping, can't seem to close my eyes and keep thinking about something exciting that I need to do and express. Maybe this is what they call passion from the concept of ikigai, or maybe this is just a stage of adulthood as I'm now 23. I'm really enjoying it.

Fletch's song titled Tiga Pagi perfectly describes how I feel right now. The meaning of the song about 3 AM, which is related to the spiritual aspect in Islam called tahajud prayer. Maybe this is the same thing I'm feeling about brain regeneration in one night when the whole world is silent. Sometimes we reconsider life and its purpose.

Perfect Morning

(now playing: the beatles - norwegian wood)

It's been two months since Kopi Merah Putih (merput) in Depok kicked off. After diving into the coffee world during my college days in Bandung, I unexpectedly continued my career journey in F&B here (who would've thought?!). Seizing the moment, perhaps... Turns out, pursuing a bachelor's degree in IT doesn't guarantee sticking to the same field for a career. Plus, here my aim is just to fill spare time before pursuing a master's degree at the University of Indonesia in Environmental Science, conveniently in the same city as my home, Depok.

This morning is totally different from the usual mornings at merput depok. I used to sleep alone on the second floor and wake up maybe in the afternoon if someone took turns to manage the merput. If not, I usually close up in the wee hours after the last customers leave to recharge for the morning reopening, like today.

Starting the day by freshening up, cleaning merput, and playing (they long to be) Close to You - Carpenters with the door barely cracked open so it won't seem fully open to passersby. Yet, a few customers immediately walk in and order coffee. They're not just customers; they're office workers, students, and families. About five people take turns ordering our signature drinks: palm sugar milk coffee and Americano to kickstart their day before diving into their activities.

The expectations for merput depok exceeded our targets, and it happened super fast. It's become a daily routine, and I feel a strong sense of ownership among customers and locals. Creating coffee products that resonate with the target market and making the shop an inclusive hangout spot for anyone with affordable prices and a cozy ambiance.

This is quite a different morning from the usual now that the merput has gained some recognition and has become a daily ritual for anyone starting their day and knowing about it. Have a productive day, everyone!

Menyebalkan

Suatu siang seorang anak baru bangun dari tidur larut malamnya. Muda dan berambisi besar, si anak yang tengah berjuang semalaman dalam perjuangan perkuliahan melelapkannya dalam sekejap setelah semua pekerjaan selesai. Tak terduga, ia dibangunkan oleh jengkelnya suara telepon yang terus berulang bunyi membangunkannya. Dari teman kelas kuliah! Ternyata sumber telepon itu masuk. Hanya menanyakan bagaimana caranya menginstalasi sebuah aplikasi yang baru mereka pelajari pada mata kuliah pekan lalu. Si anak dengan menenangkan diri menjawab pertanyaan demi pertanyaan dengan baik walaupun kantung mata masih memberatkan untuk melanjutkan tidurnya yang baru dua setengah jam. Dalam hati selesainya telepon ia hanya bisa melampiaskan kemarahan pada siang hari itu dengan bergumam dalam diri. Meratapi kenyataan yang masih setengah sadar dan belum bisa melanjutkan tidurnya karena sudah berpapasan langsung dengan sinar matahari dari jendela kamar kosnya dalam siang bolong tersebut. “Mengganggu saja!” gumam si anak dalam hati setelah akibat yang dirasakannya saat ini. Lagi pula untuk apa seorang mahasiswa jurusan IT menelepon hanya untuk bertanya bagaimana caranya menginstalasi sebuah aplikasi yang hanya tinggal menekan tombol selanjutnya saja secara menerus. Dengan terpaksa, ia harus melanjutkan harinya dengan bermain gadget sampai ia kembali tertidur dalam dua jam setelahnya.

Seorang anak lain dalam malam setelah salat isya sedang merapikan kamar tidurnya untuk bersiap tidur tepat waktu. Seperti biasa, berkomunikasi panjang melalui sambungan telepon dengan ibunya sebelum tidur selalu menjadi rutinitas wajib baginya. Maklum, ini tahun pertama ia merantau dari keluarganya di kota nan jauh untuk berkuliah setelah ditinggal lebih dahulu oleh bapaknya yang sudah almarhum. Sang anak berasal dari salah satu desa di Pulau Sumatera. Memberanikan jauh merantau ke Pulau Jawa untuk melanjutkan jenjang pendidikan dalam bidang IT yang ia yakini akan menjadi prospek bagus dimasa depan. Sejak di bangku sekolah ia belum pernah sekalipun memegang laptop. Hanya komputer tabung yang senantiasa ia ulik untuk mengikuti pelajaran TIK di sekolah menengah dan mengikuti kurikulum sekolahnya untuk mengenal cara mengetik di aplikasi word. Dengan bantuan kakaknya yang sudah bekerja di kampung halaman, ia memberanikan diri untuk mengejar cita-cita dalam bidang teknologi dan merantau. Mengejar pendidikan adalah berproses agar memahami suatu hal, prinsipnya.

Merantau sendirian dari kampung halaman bukanlah hal mudah baginya. Terkadang juga ia berat hati untuk meminta bantuan orang lain dikala ia kesulitan untuk menjalani perkuliahannya. Malam itu ia tersadar bahwa ada satu pekerjaan rumah perkuliahannya yang belum ia selesaikan. Sekian kali mencoba modul pelajarannya, namun ia terhenti karena tidak bisa menginstalasi aplikasi pada laptop yang ia pinjam dari saudaranya. Setelah berjuang selama dua jam, ia akhirnya menyerah. Mau tidak mau, ia harus meminta bantuan pada orang lain. Namun ia bingung karena ia bukanlah tipe orang yang membuka diri terhadap orang lain bahkan teman kelasnya sendiri. Sampai akhirnya ia teringat dengan salah satu anak kelas yang pekan sebelumnya ia tolong ketika ingin meminjam alat tulis. Setidaknya aku memiliki alasan dan pastilah ia ingin menolongku kembali, pikirnya. Namun jam sudah menunjukkan pukul 22.00 WIB, bukan jam kerja dan tidaklah sopan baginya untuk menghubungi seseorang. Akhirnya ia menelepon keesokannya pada siang hari.